DAILY FED CATTLE; March 16

Thus far for Monday negotiated cash trade was inactive on light demand in all feeding regions. The latest established market in any feeding region was last week, with live sales at 161.00 in the Southern Plains. In Nebraska last week, live sales sold from 161.00-162.50 with dressed sales mostly at 257.00. In Colorado last week a very few live sales sold from 161.00-161.50. In the Western Cornbelt last week live sales sold from 160.00-162.00 with dressed sales 256.00-260.00.

Good prices in the USA live cattle are only bringing half this or less in Australia we have one of the worst and getting worse droughts on record our herds and cattle producers are being decimated in the worst cost price squeezes on record. 2013 saw a record cattle kill result in record beef production and exports eg 2012 China imported 5,000 tonnes Aus beef 2013 China imported 130,000 tonnes Aus Beef, 2014 China wants more! Live cattle exports 2013 Indonesia imports 240,000 cattle 2014 Indonesia wants 700,000 cattle Australian beef packers have had a record profits year in 2013. With the US cattle herd at such low numbers unless there are a lot of cattle in Brazil it is hard to not think there will be some upwards pressure on beef prices in 2014, but the Australian cattle producers experience has been high beef prices do not necessarily translate into higher cattle prices this has made the whole business model of cattle production in Australia unsustainable with a lot of cattle(breeders) simply dying in the paddock because the farmers are not making sufficient profits to run them.